It’s been in the works for awhile and now we can share the good news with you. Silicone Soul is coming to iTunes next month and you can already pre-order it:
Also next month our documentary will be available on AppleTV, Google Play, Youtube, and Fandango. More details and links soon!
We were thrilled to be part of this year’s program at DOC NYC and our screening on November 10 (IFC Center) was as magical as we thought it would be. Take a look at some of the photos from that evening.
From left to right: Igor Myakotin (cinematographer), Dumitrita Pacicovschi (producer), Basil Tsiokos (DOC NYC Director of Programming, Melody Gilbert (director), Danielle Knafo (consulting producer), Joy Tomchin (producer), the artist who makes reborn dolls with her daughter and three reborn babies. Photo by Allison Stock - DOC NYC
Photos by Igor Myakotin, Melody Gilbert and Allison Stock (DOC NYC staff photographer)
Good news! San Fransciscans we are coming your way this June!
SILICONE SOUL will screen at the San Francisco Documentary Film Festival on
JUNE 9 - 7:15PM - ROXIE THEATER
JUNE 10 - 12:15PM - NEW PEOPLE CINEMA
Our director Melody Gilbert will be there to present the film.
Also, just before SFDocfest, SILICONE SOUL will screen at DULUTH SUPERIOR FILM FESTIVAL
on JUNE 2 - 7PM - ZINEMA 2 and our director will be in attendance. The screening is free of charge, as are all the screening at the DSFF, so take adavatage of a wonderful selection of fiction and ddocumentary films. See you there in June!
The two SILICONE SOUL screenings (April 21, April 22) at the Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival have been extra special because most of the team members (Miles Painter- editor, Charlie McCarron - composer, Jesse Marks - sound mix, Beth Peloff & John Akre - animation) that worked on the documentary live there including our director, Melody Gilbert. Even our cinematographer, Igor Myakotin, who is based in NYC flew in for the screenings. The spirits were high, the screenings SOLD out, the Q&A's were fantastic, the audience receptive and open minded, director Melody Gilbert gave a TV interview for KARE 11 (see it bellow) and we were included in the BEST OF FEST list, getting the chance to screen SILICONE SOUL one more time (May 2). In short, we had the greatest time!
Let me do a recap of all things 'Silicone Soul' that happened this March!
BUT FIRST… THIS MAKES US HAPPY (from a film festival catalog):
More below:
Minneapolis St.Paul International Film Festival catalogue
WORLD PREMIERE: We love the Thessaloniki International Documentary Film Festival where we received two full house screenings and fabulous (long & thoughtful) Q & A's! I barely made the screening, arriving in Greece with one hour to spare before the world premiere (you can read my husband's blog post about my 40-hour (!) journey here), so it was an extra special thrill to be there! It was a dream come true.
World Premiere at the Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival
A couple of my former students from AUBG (American University in Bulgaria) made the trek to Greece for the opening night, which made the premiere even more special! Thanks Didi and Flori!
Me (dir. Silicone Soul), Dumi (producer), Didi and Flori
We also got a couple of nice interviews while we were there. This is my favorite. Can't understand Greek? That's okay! This interview with me in English! Link here (my interview starts at 12:53)
In addition to screenings, we also had lots of industry meetings, went to pitch sessions and connected with filmmakers from around the world. Thessaloniki was the best possible festival to begin the process of sending Silicone Soul out into the world!
NEXT STOP: Sofia, Bulgaria for the Sofia International Film Festival where we saw lots of friends AND we got lots of press!
Interview with Bulgaria on Air TV
These stories are in Bulgarian, but fun to watch anyway! My favorite was this TV news story on BNT (Bulgarian National Television), where the I told the skeptical reporter about the Hollywood movie "Lars and the Real Girl" (which she had never heard of) and she used it in her story to report that Silicone Soul is like the real "Lars and the Real Girl." Watch here.
RADIO SOFIA (in English with me on Facebook live). Watch here
Bulgaria On Air TV (Bulgarian only). Watch here.
Bulgarian National Radio , Hristo Botev program (Bulgarian and English). Listen here.
I was also on the documentary jury which meant I had to go to lots of screenings other than my own, which was exhausting but fun. Not complaining!
Overall, there was lots of interest in the film and some great discussions and gatherings.
Melody and Dumi (producer)
Special thanks to producer Dumitrita Pacicovschi for always being by my side!
AMDOCS (American Documentary Film Festival) and MSPIFF.
AMDOCS in Palm Springs, CA Screening on Saturday, April 7 at 9pm Ticket info here.
MN PREMIERE AT MSPIFF!
Sat, April 21, 6:45pm and Sun, April 22, 2:15pm
Here is what MSPIFF says about SILICONE SOUL in the catalog (we are very happy about this!):
"Gilbert ventures beyond the surface to engage with each individual and explore what inspired the specific bond each share with a companion." Yay! They "get" it! So happy. For tickets + read the rest of the synopsis, go here .
Minnesota friends: These screenings will likely sell out before the festival, so don't wait to get your tickets!
More screenings coming up in Duluth, San Francisco and and more- will announce soon!
To follow the progress of the film, please follow and like us on FB, Twitter and IG and of course we are always posting updates and pics on the website, too.
More updates soon!
Yours in Docs,
Melody
Our latest rough cut screening has been a success and we received a lot of positive feedback from our viewers. WATCH this short (:30 secs) video of reactions to a recent rough cut screening and then read some more of the feedback down below:
“This is a very, very, very thought-provoking film.”
“I couldn’t imagine how you could possibly make me care about these people. And you did.”
“You could have so easily mocked, but you chose to tell their story with compassion.”
”I thought this movie was going to be about sex dolls, but it’s actually about relationships and where we are as humans today. Thank you for this film that will have me thinking about this subject for days.”
“All of the characters are extremely interesting.”
“The way you get these folks to open up and show their genuine love for their synthetic partners was awesome.”
On Sunday, Dec 3 our Kickstarter campaign came to an end and with the incredible generosity of 129 backers, we managed to raise $12,411 in just 19 days. A massive THANK YOU to all of you! THANK YOU for believing in Silicone Soul and in the message it wants to transmit. Our journey has only just begun and we hope you will stay with us every step of the way!
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for news and updates!
THANK YOU to each and every one of you beautiful people who contributed to the campaign to help us finish Silicone Soul (see list below)! Today (Nov 29, 2017) we reached 100% of our goal, so we get to keep all the funds raised. Whew! I'm grateful and humbled for your support, especially during Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Giving Tuesday (what was I thinking?) --you were still there for me and I appreciate it so much!
We still have three days left in the campaign, and we will continue to accept donations, especially to support the animators who have been working more than we expected. If you know anyone who would like to contribute, send them here: bit.ly/silicone-soul-doc. There's still time to get in the credits or become an Executive Producer :).
Yours in Docs, Melody
